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by Hc_messss



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Adoption, Family, Maybe some angst, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:01:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27006250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hc_messss/pseuds/Hc_messss
Summary: Ten and Johnny welcome Donghyuck to their home.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Everyone, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 41
Kudos: 262





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first fan fiction and English is totally not my first language so I'm sorry for any mistakes. I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 1**

He was so in love with him. The first time he said he wanted a baby, everyone told him it was a bad idea, that he was not made to be a parent. He agreed with them, he was no Taeyong or Doyoung, or even Kun with all of their love toward their children and their parenting skills which seemed to come naturally to all of them.

  
But the first time he went to the orphanage to get Chenle with Kun, he instinctively knew that this little boy was his baby. He tentatively approached him and asked for his name and when he heard the high-pitched voice whisper a “Donghyuck” he was sold. He spent all of the time it took Kun and Chenle to get the former stuff and say goodbye to the staff to try to know the little boy. He was six years old, a little too old to still believe that he would get off the system, but his eyes were still so bright and beautiful, and his voice was so unique as he responded to all of the questions Ten had. Too soon, Kun called him to go back and possibly never come back to this place since he had his son with him. He tried to tell Donghyuck that he will surely comeback to see him, but the kid didn’t seem to believe what the elder told him as if he had heard that same song to many times only to be disappointed.

  
After dropping Kun and Chenle, Ten went back to his house and sat down in the dark for a long time. He tried to really think about it. Was he really going to get a kid on a seemingly impulse when all his life he refused the idea of becoming a parent as it seemed too “adult” for him and getting nauseous at the simple idea of responsibility? He spent hours thinking about it but at the end of each monologue he constructed against getting the child, he would remember the look on Donghyuck’s face as he said that he would come back for him. It was a look of disbelief with a hidden hope inside. He then came to the realisation that he would be damned if he crushed this kid’s hopes again and even though he would surely not be the best parent ever (that title was reserved for the likes of Kun or Taeyong), he will try his best and at the end of the day pray that it would be enough. Finally coming to term that he will be getting the baby, he heard the front door open and he remembered that he couldn’t really make that decision alone. He didn’t move from the couch, staying silent, and eyed his husband as he made his way inside the house. Johnny was careful to not make much noises as he assumed his other half was asleep. When he turned the light on and finally spotted Ten, he jumped in surprise and clutched his heart not expecting the other man to sit still in the dark. After calming down and seeing the atmosphere around the other, he quietly sat down next to Ten on the couch.

  
They stayed silent for a long while, and after some time Johnny finally asked his husband what was wrong. Ten only looked at him for a little while, and then took a long breath. He told Johnny about his day, and about the little boy that took his heart at the first glance. He also told him that he know that he was selfish to suddenly want a child, when he was always vocal about never becoming a parent and how much stress it was, but he couldn’t imagine his life without that little boy now even if he only met him for 2 hours max. At the end of his speech, he took another breath and looked at his husband to gauge his reaction. The other man seemed to be a little perplexed by all of this, which shouldn’t come as a surprise when it comes to Ten and his ideas. He dropped his gaze, afraid of a straight-out denial or worse Johnny could laugh at him and tell him he is not made to be a parent, that he would only make things hard for the child that would have the bad luck to be his. He felt tears fill up his eyes, but he refused to let them come down, he was not that weak, and he is ready to fight to get this little boy (HIS little boy) home.  
So more ready than ever to fight his husband of five years, he lifts his gaze and make eye contact with him and what he finds make him lose his breath. His eyes are full of love and he only ask one question:

  
“When can I meet our future son?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My English is not the best so I'm sorry.

Chapter 2:

The day after his conversation with his husband, Ten was more than excited to go to the orphanage. He couldn’t wait for Johnny to meet Donghyuck and fall in love with him because if he knows one thing about his partner it’s that he always saw himself with a family growing up. Ten was the one who didn’t want children, and Johnny was ready to make that sacrifice to be able to spend the rest of his life with him. Of course, it was easier to not have children of their own when they could dote on their friend’s.

When Taeyong and Jaehyun had adopted their first child, the couple was overjoyed, and they shared that happiness with all their friends but Johnny and Ten have always been their closest friends and as such they had the pleasure to be designed the godfathers of their baby boy. And Mark was an angel, who took not only the hearts of his parents but also of all their friends and never gave them back. He was adopted at the young age of 2 years old, and after five years Ten can’t imagine a life without that little baby in it. After that, all of their friends, decided to adopt a child or more.

But even that never gave Ten the want for a kid of his own, even if he loves all of these children who came into his life to death he knew that he could not handle their needs and he could not see himself taking a break from his life, from his job to cater to those needs. And Johnny always said that he only wanted to have a family if it was with him, and that he would be satisfied to see their friends’ children growing up and being the best uncle. 

As he was reminiscing, Johnny was busy making breakfast for the two of them. He always wanted to live a healthy lifestyle but with Ten’s hatred for everything related to fruits it was quite hard. He was wondering if Ten would change that aspect of his personality after they adopt Donghuyck or if he would pass it down to their kid. He was quite surprised yesterday when his partner of more than eleven years suddenly said that he wants a child, and not any child but one that he only met for two hours. He never thought that his husband would ever change his mind set about having a child of his own as he always was adamant to say that he would not make a good parent, that he is not grown up enough to be able to do what good parents do for their offspring’s, that he could never sacrifice his current lifestyle.

He always wanted a family of his own, and everyone who knew Johnny knows that, but Ten has said early on that he didn’t see himself with children, he could maybe have cats but no kids. Once, Ten said to him that they should break up because he was feeling like he was robbing not only Johnny but any child that would be lucky enough to be his. The same day, Johnny asked him to marry him and renounced to have a child as long as he could be with him forever. 

So it was only normal for him to have been surprised by his husband. As he was setting the table, he suddenly thought that if he tried hard enough maybe Ten would also change his mind about fruits.

More determined than ever, he bought two bananas from the kitchen and he dropped them off near each of their plates. Satisfied with himself, he called his husband who was sitting on the couch and staring blankly at the wall.

When the two of them were seated, and before Ten could even say thank you for the breakfast, he saw the fruits that was placed near him and shrieked as if he was personally assaulted.

“Johnny Suh, do you have a death wish?

\- What do you mean babe?” responded his husband, as if he did nothing wrong.

Ten pointed to the banana and then stared at Johnny. For a moment nothing was said and then Johnny sighed:

“I mean I had to try, if you can change your mind about having a kid maybe you can also eat fruits” as he was saying that, he took the aforementioned food and took it back to the kitchen. He would try again another time.

After they finished eating, washed up and changed their clothes, they decided it was time to go. As Johnny was driving, Ten was busying himself with his phone. He was nervous and felt nauseous. He was afraid that Donghyuck would be disappointed with him, what if he doesn’t want to be his kid and reject him or worse what if he ruins this kid. As he was spirling down with his thoughts, he felt a nudge. He looked up and saw his husband already looking at him and say that they arrived. He took a deep breath and readied himself, he shouldn’t think about the “what if”. As he got out of the car and saw the building, he felt his heart beating harder than ever, he was still nervous but there was something else. He is eager to see Donghyuck’s smile, his eyes and his little moles. Johnny attached their hands together, and then lifted Ten’s hand to give it a kiss and say:

“Let’s go see our baby” and he couldn’t repress the stretch of his lips as he nodded. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

If someone said to Ten the most beautiful day of his life would be rainy and windy as hell, he would have said that it could not be possible as his wedding day was full of sunshine with a light breeze which everybody welcomed. As they say, you never know what’s ahead of you. So Ten’s favourite memory will be on a rainy day in November and it was alright because even though he dislike rain and his shiny shoes will be dirtied, everything about that day was perfect and he would never change anything about it.

They entered the orphanage and talked to one of the caretakers at entrance, they presented themselves. She recognized Ten immediately and took the time to ask about Chenle and how he was adapting to his new environment. Even thought it’s only been a day, the little boy made himself at home with Kun and his family, and he is already making his own hole in all of their lives.

After talking with them about that she enquired about their presence. Johnny told her that they called yesterday to see if they could meet one of their protegee for a prospective adoption.

“Oh, you were the one who called the yesterday?” she asked “The director didn’t say which child you wanted to meet and for now he is not here, but I can fetch the kid for you and you can make acquaintance in one of the room with a caretaker”. The couple nodded and thanked her before saying the kid name, but then her expression changed. Her face became quite cold, and if they didn’t see her before they would have not seen the difference between the smile she gave them when they entered and the one she displayed now, but it was quite clear that it was the fake kind, which seemed more like a grimace than anything else.

“Donghyuck, is that right?” she asked. “I don’t really want to say it, but I have to tell you that he is one of the most problematic child we actually have and for a first time adoption it would, maybe, make more sense to take a child who is less… troubled. He is a starved for attention and you can’t really trust him, he is always lying and fighting with the other children over nothing”.

As she finished her little spiel, Ten felt some anger rise in him. Who dare she say that the little angel he met is “troubled” and that he is a liar, and all of these things? When he met him, they talked a bit and the baby was what could only be described as well behaved and if he met him anywhere else, he would have said that his parents did a really good job rising him up. As he thought of that, he saw no reason to not say it to this woman and so he did. She seemed a little bit surprised by him, and the fact that he obviously looked angered by what she said which may have made her feel a little bit nervous.

It’s only when Johnny encircled his waist with his arm that he calmed a little. “What my husband wanted to say is that he would like to meet Donghyuck as it was programmed with the Director and we will be the judges to see if he is a fit to our family or not. And when you go up to call Donghyuck, we would like to meet him in the presence of another caretaker”.

The woman seemed a little peeved that they required for someone else, but she was intelligent enough to not open her mouth again. When she turned around, Johnny hugged his husband and murmured sweet nothings in his ear to calm him down. Ten was not only angry but also confused that someone who should take care of a kid, and try to improve his situation, can bring him down like that, and take away a chance to get a better life, to get a family without even trying to see why he is acting that way in the first place.

After a bit of time, another caretaker came down with Donghyuck. Ten could feel all of the anger and the sadness leave his body, all of it being replaced with wonder. Who could a little body like that contain all of the light in the world? He was only going down the stairs, but it was as if an angel was descending down on earth with a beam of light encircling him. He felt as if he was short of breath and he knew at that moment again, like the first time he saw him, that they were destined to meet and that the little boy was his as much as he, himself, was Donghyuck’s. 

He felt his husband tense at his side, and he could only look at him after much effort, it was as if his eyes had a will of their own and the only thing, they wanted to do is to stare at Donghyuck. He thought that if the little boy needed attention, he would give him all of his. His body seemed to have understood that as it was reluctant to turn away from him.

When he finally teared his gaze of his future baby to let it settle on Johnny, he could see him fall in love as well. It was the same way he would look at all of their friends’ kids, but with more emotions, with more depth as if he found something that was always missing in him. And maybe he didn’t feel it on the same level as Ten, who could not do this if it was not that precise boy, but he always wanted a big family and eventually, after giving up in this lifetime, he would have another member in it.

Then Donghyuck stopped in front of them and bowed down before opening his mouth and with a smugness that not even adults could conjure, he said “So, I heard that somebody wanted to take me home”.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

To say Ten was surprised by Donghyuck’s personality would be an understatement. After the little boy spoke, the caretaker who descended with him took them to another room where they would have more privacy to make acquaintance with each other.

As they sat down, Donghyuck firstly looked at Johnny but he didn’t really linger on him as he rapidly turned his gaze to Ten. He let his eyes go up and down, before opening his mouth “You were the one who came with Chenle’s new father last time right?”. Ten could only acquiesce and pursue his lips nervously, what if Donghyuck was disappointed with him? What if he would much prefer to stay in this orphanage than come home with him? He know in the depth of his mind that he is being ridiculous because no child would prefer staying in an orphanage than have a real home, with loving parents who are ready to provide everything for him, but his nerves only let him feel his fears, shutting down his reasonable side. Then he felt a hand covering his own and beginning to rub southing circle, and he doesn’t even need to look to know that his husband is looking at him now with warm eyes full of love. Johnny’s touch was enough to dispel some of his fears and when he looked up, he saw that Donghuyck was staring at their hands.

He took a deep breath before speaking. “Yes. I came last time with Kun, Chenle’s new father. I don’t know if you remember but my name is Ten and the giant by my side is my husband, Johnny”. He stopped speaking to let the little boy digest all of these informations. Donghyuck was looking directly at him, then he smiled. Ten could feel his heartbeat accelerate, and if he didn’t know any better, he would have been scared that he was experiencing his first heart attack. “You promised you would come back for me, and you really did” as these words filtered from Donghyuck’s mouth, Ten could not help himself and smiled back at him, “Yeah, first thing you should know about me is that I’m not a liar”.

“I’m Donghyuck but I think you already know that, and I’m six years old but a lot of adults say that I’m like an old man in a young body”. As he was presenting himself, Ten saw that the caretaker was trying hard to not laugh at the little boy’s choice of words. He, himself, was quite amused by it and he know that Johnny was too. “I don’t really like math and school, but I love to sing, dance and play football. And when I grow up I want to be a professional football player”, Donghyuck’s eyes were shining brightly as he was resuming his likes and dislikes and told them about his dream. And Ten was so happy to only listen to his high-pitched voice, and he was sure that he would never get tired of it. Then the little boy asked them if they wanted to hear him sing, and before they even had the time to respond he began humming to a Michael Jackson’s song. His voice was so beautiful and pure, and without being biased he thought that his singing was better than all of the professional singer out there even though his English was quite hard to understand. When Donghyuck’s butchered version of Man in the mirror finished, he looked at them with big eyes as if he was waiting for something. And before he could say anything, Johnny was already clapping his hands and complementing the boy. Then the two of them took the time to present themselves. Johnny introduced himself first, he said that he works as a professional photograph, that he is thirty years old, and what he likes the most is taking photos of his family and friends. He then proceeds to say that he also doesn’t like math but was good enough at it when he was younger, so he could help the little boy whenever he needs it. Ten felt his heart squeeze a bit as he realized that Johnny was already projecting into their future with the boy. After his husband presentation, it was Ten’s turn. He spoke a little about his job as a designer, about the fact that he has his own company at the young age of twenty-nine, then said that he also liked to dance in his spare time and that he would be more than happy to do it with Donghyuck. He didn’t really want to admit his dislike of fruits to the little boy, as he know that any reasonable parent would push their offspring into consuming them for health reasons and whatever, so he only said that he doesn’t have any big dislike. His husband only snorted at that but remained silent on the subject. Then they looked in front of them, and Johnny asked if the boy had any question or if he was curious about something. Donghyuck only smiled harder at that, and then he looked at Johnny “How did you get so big and why is he so little?”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“I take full offense on that question” said Ten as his husband was full on wheezing from Donghuck’s seemingly innocent curiosity.

He was quite sure from then on that the innocent little boy he saw the first time was not the real version of the child in front of him. As he took a step back from the other two, he observed their interaction. Johnny was marvellous with kids on a daily basis so he was sure they would rapidly bond and he had to admit to himself he was quite worried that Donghyuck would love his husband more than himself. It was not jealousy but something deeper, he was afraid that he would not compare to Johnny who has always had that parental instinct.

But a bigger side of himself was delighted to see his other half progressively being bewitched by the little boy as he was now surer than he has ever been in all of his life, they would become a family.

He was spacing out thinking about their future when he felt a hand on his arm. He gazed up and saw the caretaker who accompanied Donghyuck look at him with a little smile. “Hello, my name is Kim Jungwoo, it’s a pleasure to meet you”. Ten was quite taken aback by the man’s warm behaviour but then he scowled as he remembered the woman from earlier. “If you are here to say that Donghyuck is not cut out to be adopted and all of the nonsense your co-worker said earlier, you can save your breath we already heard it”. Jungwoo seemed quite shocked then and he rapidly shook his head “No I would never say that !” he exclaimed in a louder voice than he must have though because Johnny and Donghyuck looked up at them but Ten just gave them a little smile and they went back to their conversation.

Jungwoo took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak again “I have been working here for two years and I should not say that but Donghyuck is like a part of my family, I care deeply about him. I saw some people come here to adopt a kid but they don’t understand that these children are not perfect, they are not made in some factory, they are only human like all of us and most of them survived some traumatic events. I know that Donghyuck’s behaviour can seem quite erratic sometimes but deep down he is a good kid who didn’t have the life that he should have had and I want nothing more than for him to find a family who can accept everything about him, sir”. As he finished his speech, Ten looked at him in silent and Jungwoo could do nothing else but blush at the elder unwavering stare. But then Ten only smiled brightly at the caretaker, and the tense atmosphere dispersed as if it was never here in the first place. “You seem to be a good person Jungwoo, and I think we will be good friends in the future as I want every person who cared about Donghyuck to be in his life”. Jungwoo seemed happy hearing that and smiled back at Ten. “Also call me Ten or Hyung”.

The two of them laughed together again but then Donghyuck walked up to them with a pout on his face. As he stopped before Ten, he took his hand in his smaller one and pulled him to follow him to sit around a little table where papers and coloured markers were scattered around. As they sat down the boy spoke softly to Ten “I though you were coming for me not to laugh with Jungwoo-Hyung and not pay attention to me… You should like me the most” as he said that, Ten felt his heart squeeze up. He tried hard to contain his laugh as he felt happiness flow throughout his body and he didn’t want the boy to think that he was mocking him.

“Donghyuck I think I can say without doubt that I like you more than Jungwoo” he said and when the boy looked at him with a radiant smile, he only wanted to hug the little boy close to him and litter his face with kisses. But he knows that he could not do that right now, he had to control himself and let Donghyuck control the pace about that. When the little boy become more comfortable with him, he suspects that he would demand a lot of cuddles and physical affectation. He could not wait for that.

They decided to draw together as they spoke. Ten decided to draw flowers and Donghyuck seemed impressed by his talent. He felt a little proud about that and he proposed to exchange his drawing for Donghyuck’s, which seemed to satisfy the both of them. The boy asked him about his life, about his friends and his family and so he talked about his best friends, their kids and at the end he said that he was impatient for them to meet him. Donghyuck seemed a little intimated at the prospect so he tried to reassure him, telling him that he would meet them only when he wanted to. At that the six years old grinned and resumed his drawing of a cat.

After that the time passed quickly and it was already time to say goodbye. Ten never felt more heartbroken than when Donghyuck looked at them with tears in his eyes and hid his body behind Jungwoo, attaching himself to his legs.

It was Johnny who sat down in front of the caretaker to talk to him. He said goodbye and promised him they would come back for him and near enough they would be able to take him home. But even then, Donghyuck didn’t react and stayed in the same position. Jungwoo looked at Ten with sorrow as he knows how hard this part of the day is. Ten kneeled down next to Johnny and talked with a sweet and soft voice. “Donghyuck, baby, you remember what I told you before right?” At that Donghyuck looked at them, and so Ten continued “The first thing that I want you to know about me?”. Donghyuck’s eyes seemed to sparkle when he responded, “You are not a liar”. Ten could only smile “Yeah. I’m not a liar so when I say that we will come back for you and that one day we will take you from here, you have to believe me. Ok baby?”. Slowly, Donghyuck detached himself from his caretaker and ran out to hug him. Ten was taken by surprise but was quick to hug back even more tightly, and murmur reassurances in the ears of the little boy. After some time they detached from one another, and Ten was doing everything he could to not break down in front of the orphanage and ask them to let him stay there if he can’t take Donghyuck away. Johnny only looked at them with a smile full of sadness, but then the boy looked at him and pouted before hugging him too. And Ten will always remember the expression on his husband’s face, as he only saw it on their wedding day. It was a face full of love and reverence, as if he could not believe that he was lucky enough to be the one here, living this moment. They stayed at the entrance of the orphanage a long time after Donghyuck went back inside, processing everything that happened and feeling happier than ever.

They would adopt Donghyuck and, even if they would never be the best parents in the world, they would do everything to make sure that their baby never regretted giving them his trust.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After coming back from the orphanage, Ten immediately decided to work on preparing Donghyuck’s room. He bought the essentials and tried to include things the little boy had said that he liked. They decided to give him the room next to theirs which was a storage room before.

As the days passed and his love for the boy only grow bigger and bigger, Ten know that he had to announce their decision to their friends. Johnny had been understanding about it and didn’t tell anyone about the future addition to their little family. But their friends, as observant as they are, seemed to note their absence at some meetings which they never skipped before. They also felt the change of dynamic in the couple as they seemed more in love than ever and happier in a weird way because they don’t remember the couple being unhappy. For a little while, Johnny and Ten had been radiating with something unknow but familiar to all of their friends. They decided to not confront them as it was obviously something good, they would wait until they feel ready to tell them.

One night, Ten come back quite late from work and found Johnny waiting from him with dinner ready. As he kissed his husband he felt all of the tension from the day slowly evaporate from his body. Johnny ushered him to wash up and come down so they could eat dinner together.

When he came back, he found the table ready and he just had to sit down to enjoy the food. After finishing the food they decided to share a glass of wine together and sat down on the couch cuddling together. Johnny took a deep breath and then spoke “I think it’s time to tell the others about Donghyuck”. As these words went out of Johnny mouth, Ten felt panic rise in him but before he could say anything to discourage that conversation, his husband spoke again. “Jaehyun called me and said that nobody wanted to pressure us into talking but they noticed that we changed a bit. That we seem happier than we have ever been. I know that you have some reserves and I don’t want to force you but…” he straightened himself before continuing, “…There is no going back now”. At these words, Ten strangely didn’t feel bad or pressured, he was excited that they were on the same page about Donghyuck. He sighed and then looked at his husband before speaking. “I would never go back on this, you know that but I’m a bit afraid of their reactions and I know it’s quite irrational because they are not strangers but our friends, our family, but my mind is telling me that they would mock me for desperately wanting the one thing that I always said I would never want. But you are right, Donghyuck will be there soon and I can’t be afraid forever”. As he said those words, he felt confidence rise in himself. He knows that whatever reaction people would give him, he will go on with the adoption and at the end of the day he doesn’t really care about others. The main character of this story are Johnny, Donghyuck and him, and if they are sure about this there is nothing to fear.

After speaking with Johnny about when they should make their announcement, they decided to do it at an evening organised by Taeyong. All of their friends should be there and Ten was not afraid anymore.

Soon they found themselves knocking on Taeyong’s and Jaehyun’s door, they waited and Ten felt his nerves flare up again. Even though he was determined to do it, he was still nervous. Johnny felt it and reached up to entangle their hands together. As the door opened, a smiling Jaehyun welcomed them with a hug but even then, their hands stayed together and if their friend saw, he didn’t comment on it. 

After they took off their coats, they walked toward the living room where they could hear a lot of voices. It seemed that they were the last ones to arrive. They greeted everyone and then proceeded to sit on the floor as there was no more space on the couch. Ten felt the tension rise as they all pretended everything was normal, but he could sense their gazes lingering on them whenever the couple seemed to not pay attention to the others.

He didn’t want to be looked at like that, but he understood because if he was in their place, he would have been the noisiest one. As he felt himself tensing up again, he heard high pitched voices and rushed footsteps coming toward the living room. Their friend’s children were as usual all there and playing together. When Mark saw his favourite uncle, he came running toward them and without a glance at Ten he jumped into Johnny’s arms. He could only let out a snort and proceed to tickle the little boy to let him know that he took full offense on his attitude.

Mark was crying out for pity but Ten only stopped when the other kids came to greet them. Renjun, Doyoung’s only son is the spitting image of his single father and lives to make Ten’s life harder, so it comes as no surprise when the boy ignores him and only greet Johnny as well. After that the others take this as a challenge to see who will ignore Ten the best. Xiajun, Hendery and Yangyang, Kun and Sicheng pride and joy, follow suit and cuddle up to Johnny, telling him they missed him and he should meet them more often as he was the “best uncle ever”. After them it’s Jeno and Jaemin turns, they are Taeil and Yuta babies, and they have always been a bit on the softer side which must only have been thanks to Taeil’s education. But the two of them don’t show any hesitance as they pass him, and he can’t help but let out a breath of betrayal at their action. He prepares himself to make a dramatical scene worthy of a Broadway play but before he can get up, he feels two pairs of little arms encircling his waist, and when he looks down, he sees four eyes looking at him.

“Uncle Ten I missed you” Chenle high pitched voice spoke and Jisung only pouted up at him to show his agreement with his friend’s statement. He felt a smile growing on his face as he hugged back the two little boy and kissed their faces all over. The boys were rejoiced by that and their laughter soon filled the room. Mark discretly made his way over them and pulled on his shirt to attract Ten’s attention. When he looked down at the older boy, he saw how he pouted and tried hard to not laugh. “What do you want Mark ? I’m busy with kissing my favourites babies who don’t ignore me” as he was saying that Mark pouted at him and began to whine. “I didn’t ignore you ! I just didn’t see you because uncle Johnny is so big and…” he didn’t get to finish as all of their friends burst out laughing even Johnny, the traitor.

He decides to not pay attention to any of them and only hugged Mark as he saw the little boy was sulking. He reassured him that he didn’t do anything wrong and that it was really Johnny’s fault and maybe Doyoung’s because he is mean to him on a daily basis and it seem that it has been passed down to his son. After that all of the other kids hugged him, even Renjun, and he could not be happier about it.

Then it was time to eat dinner and they all converged to the table. The kids had eaten a little earlier to make it easier for their parents and uncles to enjoy their own dinner, and now they were in the living room watching the Lion King, as per Jisung’s wish since they are in his home and he is the youngest.

The dinner was delicious, and they were all in a good mood. It was like they all forgot about Johnny’s and Ten’s weird behaviour but then he felt his husband lightly squeeze his thight and he knows it was time as Taeyong was serving dessert. When all of their friends were sat down and they all finished complimenting the host on his culinary skills, he cleared his throat which earned all of their attention. He then took a deep breath and spoke “Johhny and I decided to adopt” and then chaos erupted.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“What the heck?” someone said, and he didn’t know who it was but Ten’s heart threatened to jump out of his throat. But before he could explain himself better, Johnny took things into his own hands. He spoke about Donghyuck and their visit to the orphanage, about how that little boy is the sun personified, how his personality is so quirky but so charming at the same time. Of course, they only saw him once but they had a connection and as weird as it was they could not imagine their life without that precious presence in it.

As he finished talking, all of their friends were speechless. Then, as if waking up, they all spoke at the same time and everything mixed in a blur of congratulations and some teasings about the hardships that would come with raising a child. But Ten could only see Taeyong and Kun exchanging sceptical glances. He could not really blame them, the two are his longest friends and they have been subject too many times to his spiel about not wanting any child in this life and all of the others. He decided to just give them time to settle with his decision, and if they have any problem afterwards, they would tell him, he didn’t doubt that about them.

After they delivered the big news, Ten felt himself relax. Why was he so afraid? Most of his friends have always been supportive of his decisions and it seems they would support him even in adopting a kid. As the noise settled down, everyone seemed in a good mood and then they all naturally separated. Kun and Doyoung decided to help Taeyong to clean up, and all the other relocated to the living room. As he was standing up to follow the others, Taeyong called him back to help. As it seems they decided to confront him sooner that he thought they would, but he was ready for it.

He took some plates back to the kitchen and began cleaning them up, Taeyong cleared his throat and looked quite constipated but then he spoke. “So… About this child… Where does it come from? Not in a bad way but you were always so sure you would never want one and this is so sudden…” as he spoke, Ten could see Kun agreeing with him but Doyoung just busied himself with cleaning and didn’t speak up.

Doyoung has always been more of Johnny’s friend than his but they bonded over time and now they had a sort of ‘’teasing the other till death’’ kind of friendship. They have never been each other first choices when it came to heart to heart, but they know that the other is here if they ever need someone. Taeyong and Kun are his best friends in a way that only people who have known you through the worst years of your life can be. They had meet in college and have been inseparable since then. They had been the people who pushed him to finish his degree, to create his own firm and stay in Korea, who comforted him when he decided he should break up with Johnny, they had been the one who pushed him to accept Johnny’s wedding proposal and they had been his best men that day. So their opinion mattered to Ten more than anyone else, apart from Johnny, and he could feel himself getting emotional imagining their rebuttal.

“We don’t want you to think that we are against it or that we think you would make a bad parent because it’s not true, but did you think it through? A child is no easy feat and I know that sometimes you take … impulsive decisions and I don’t want you to… regret that” As Taeyong finished his phrase, Ten felt his anger expanding through all of his body. He forced himself to take a big breath then looked at Kun. “You think the same thing?” and when his other best friend only nodded, he felt a part of his heart shatter. Did they really think that he went to see an orphan and give him hope only on a whim? Did they really think of him as that kind of person? As these questions entered his mind, another voice spoke suddenly.

“I think you will make a really good parent Ten. And I think that whoever became your kid will be lucky. I’m one hundred behind your decision because I know that you didn’t take it lightly and at the end of the day it is your husband and your decision” As Doyoung said that he could only see his two other friends flinch at the indirect attack. “What these two idiots wanted to say is that they are just surprised by your decision as it come quite suddenly but they will be here for you whenever you need them. And if they thought you were a bad person, or would make a bad parent, they would never let their children stay with you and you know that”.

“I’m sorry Ten I didn’t want you to think that you are a bad person or something like that. It’s just that I’m surprised you want a child now when you never wanted one, and it was something that was a sore spot in your life with Johnny. I just want to be sure that this is your decision and you won’t do it only to please someone else” as Kun finished speaking, something finally clicked for Ten. His friends were afraid that someone, mainly Johnny or maybe peer pressure, was influencing him to adopt. They though that he did that only to please somebody else or maybe to imitate all of them, and to not feel left out. He could only laugh at that, a mix of a disbelieving and disappointed sound.

“I thought you knew me better than that. I met Donghyuck when I accompanied you – Kun – on your way to pick Chenle and I fell in love with him that same day. Johnny never spoke about adopting a child since the day he proposed to me. I was the one who told him about Donghyuck” as he said that his friends, apart Doyoung, looked at their feet’s as if he was scolding them. And in a way he was. “I have never been someone who was influenced by what is happening around him. I have always known what I wanted and I have done something only because someone else did it. If I only wanted to be included in your little parents club, I would have tried to adopt sooner don’t you think so?” Taeyong and Kun booth became red at his words, Ten hopped that it was because of embarrassment.

“I understand your surprise and I will look at your behaviours today as a sign of confusion and nothing else. But I want you to know that when I looked at this child, I felt something that I thought I would never feel. I felt complete even thought I never knew something was missing. And I was only lucky enough that my husband understood and didn’t resent me for something that I always refused him but decided to do when I felt it was right for myself.”

After that he retreated from the kitchen, advanced to the living room and called for Johnny who was playing with the children. When Johnny looked at his husband, he immediately felt that something was wrong and untangled himself from the kids who were more than reluctant to let him go. After he succeeded in his mission to free himself, he approached his husband and only took his hand in his as he saw him shaking but before he could ask him about his state, Ten spoke “I want to go home”. Johnny could never refuse him anything, and even if it would seem rude to all of their friends he didn’t hesitate to nod at his husband request and squeezed his hand, before saying that he would go retrieve their coats and say goodbye to the others.

He quickly got their coats and announced loudly that they would go as it was late, which was true but had never been a problem before today. Nobody spokes about this but all of the kids pouted at them, saying that they didn’t want them to go. And sure Ten was angry with some of their parents, but the babies didn’t do anything wrong so he crunched down and opened his arms for them to run into and hugged them. Coincidentally, Mark was the last one who hugged him and he whispered in his ear just before letting go, “Don’t tell uncle Johnny but the two of you are equally my favourite uncle”. Ten could only let a breathless laugh at that, and maybe this one was truer than any other he let out this evening. 

After saying good-byes to the kids, they did the same to the grown-ups and when it was Kun and Taeyong turns, the two presented their excuses to Ten. And even if he wanted to resent them more, because they not only doubted him but also his husband, he hugged them tighter as he know than the two of them regretted what they said or more precisely how they presented it and all of it was coming from a good place.

The last good-bye was with Doyoung and when they hugged, the other only said with a voice full of emotions “Congratulations” and that word was enough for Ten.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ten had been quite busy since the dinner with his friends. He immediately decided to ignore all of Taeyong’s and Kun’s attempt to contact him. It was quite childish but they deserved it in a sense and it made him feel better, so he didn’t care.

He didn’t spend much time with his other friends apart from Doyoung. Their friendship became deeper as Ten felt that the other understood him on another lever. Maybe it was because Doyoung was the only one who didn’t have a picture-perfect family. He never had been in a known relationship to his friends but he never seemed bothered by the fact that only couples surrounded him. And surprisingly enough he had been the second person in their entourage to decide to adopt. It had been quite a shock as he was on a presumed vacation, but he came back with Renjun in his arms. Everybody was quite surprised, but he didn’t really give them the time to complain or express their doubts, they had to get used quickly to the new addition. Renjun had been an unexpected plus to their lives, but he adapted so well that not even a week after his arrival, they couldn’t imagine themselves without the little baby.

The day after the big revelation, Doyoung showed up at his doorstep early in the morning with his sleeping son. He didn’t wait for Ten to invite him inside, he walked in as if he owned the place. He entered his friend’s bedroom and put his baby to sleep next to Johnny. Then he shut the door and came back to hug Ten tightly. “Hello to you too bunny. What are you doing so early in someone else house?”

Doyoung only snorted at that and asked “Where is the coffee? And just to warn you when Renjun wakes up, he needs to find the food ready if you don’t want him to break down and be cranky all day. I think it's a trauma that came from his time in the orphanage. He did not have enough to eat, he is still anxious about it.”

After saying that the two of them relocated to the kitchen where Doyoung proceeded to drink his coffee and Ten tried to think of something to cook for the sleeping baby. At the end, it was Doyoung who cooked as they spoke. That day his friend stayed with him all day and he felt lighter as if a weight had been taken from his shoulders. He knew his decision was not wrong and he was more than ready to take the next step and even then Doyoung provided to be a big help as he presented them to his legal counsel, Wong Lucas, who would handle the procedure of adoption.

The couple decide to contact him the next day. Because of Doyoung’s recommendation, Lucas made the time to see them in the same week. Ten was not one to judge someone positively on the first meeting but he couldn’t resist the taller man charms. He seemed to be quite clumsy but his professional side shined through it as he explained them all of the steps for them to definitely become Donghyuck’s parents.

They became good friends with Lucas easily and he assured them that it would not take long for them to get the little boy home as their situation was stable enough and they didn’t seem to have any weakness that would disqualify them. He would take care of all the paperwork from then on and they couldn’t be more grateful as they could finally concentrate on preparing their house for the baby. Ten finished preparing Donghyuck’s room in a week and he decided to take photos of it to show the little boy the result and get his opinion.

For their next visit to the orphanage, the couple tried to find a gift for Donghyuck. They finally decided to give him a brown teddy bear as Johnny was quite enthusiastic about plushies. They were waiting inside the same room as the last time and when the door opened and they could finally see him, Ten felt his eyes fill up with tears. But he didn’t want to make a scene so he forced them back and put on a bright smile as he greeted the boy. But he couldn’t restrain himself when Donghyuck looked at them for a few seconds with something akin to astonishment, as if he couldn’t believe that they really came back to him. After his surprise passed the boy ran to him and Ten only had the time to open his arms before they were full. Donghyuck said something but it was more to his chest than anything else, so he pried the little boy’s face away and asked him to repeat. “I said that I missed you”. 

“I missed you too baby”.


	9. Chapter 9

Ten couldn’t believe his luck. To be able to get this precious presence in his arms, hugging him tightly, telling him he missed him. He was sure that he had done something good in one of his past lives to be able to meet this beautiful child, to be able to be his parent. Donghyuck was reluctant to let him go until Johnny patted his shoulder to get his attention. The little boy seemingly forgot immediately about Ten and flew in the arms of the other man.

The couple decided to give their present to the kid right away. Donghyuck’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the teddy bear and Ten would do everything to keep this expression on the kid’s face for as long as possible. He made grabby hands in the direction of the plushie and Johnny didn’t hesitate to give it to him.

He looked at them with that marvelous expression and asked them “What’s his name?”. The adults could only laugh at his enthusiasm as they couldn’t bring themselves to remind the little boy that he should refer to the teddy bear as an object. Johnny was the one to answer him “He is yours now so you should give him a name”.

Donghyuck looked down at the teddy bear in his arms for five seconds then he looked up and announced proudly “His name is Coco because he is brown like chocolate”. Ten thought that it was a perfect name.

“Donghyuck, baby, do you want to see the room I prepared for you?”

These words seemed to shock the little boy more than anything else. His expression went back to one of disbelief as he opened his mouth to speak “You made me a room in your house?”.

This question broke something inside Ten. It was like the kid could not believe that they were serious about him. It made sense in a way, they must not have been the first one to promise him a home. A new resolution routed deeply in Ten at that moment. They would be the first one to keep their promise of giving Donghyuck a home. They would do so as long as the little one wants them and even if, one day, he decides that he wants to begin his own family somewhere else they would still be his first home, they will be there for him whenever he needs them. Ten realized that this was the job of any parent and they were Donghyuck’s.

He showed him the photos he took of the room and the boy’s eyes were round with wonder as he looked at them. Ten asked him if he wanted to add something to it but Donghyuck shyly shaked his head at that. He brought the teddy bear closer to himself and hugged him tightly, trying to hide his face in it. They could add anything he wanted after he lived in it himself.

“Baby, this your room in your house. It’s only missing one thing to be really complete. Do you know what it is?”

Johnny’s voice was soft as he spoke to the boy. Ten could only grin as he knows how cheesy his husband is and he could only imagine how Donghyuck would be embarrassed by it at one point in his life. For now, the boy only shook his head again. As Johnny said “You”, Donghyuck’s eyes seemed to fill up with tears but before they could fall, he ran to them and hugged them again.

Ten never felt more complete than in that moment, hugging his husband, his son and a brown teddy bear.

The rest of the visit passed quickly as they spent their time playing and talking. The goodbyes were as hard as the first ones and it seemed it would only get harder. After Donghyuck, clutching his present tightly in his arms, was taken by his caretaker of the day, the couple was directed to the office of the director of the orphanage.

The director was a woman who seemed quite gentle. She spoke a little with them, asking them some questions about their works and others about their private life. The couple responded to all of them, knowing that she was only doing her works to see if they were good enough to take Donghyuck. She gave them some paperwork and told them that the next visit could proceed outside but they would not be alone, one of the workers would accompany them. Ten hoped it would be Jungwoo as he wanted to get to know him better.

Before going home, they stopped by Lucas’s office to depose the documents from the orphanage. Lucas insisted they took a cup of coffee as he needed a break anyway. It was a time spent knowing better the person who was going to help them get their son home. Ten thought it was quite enjoyable and wished that, after Donghyuck’s adoption, they would still be able to be friends with the capable young man.

That day Ten didn’t think about any of his other friends apart from Doyoung, as the latter sent him a dozen of texts to enquire about the progress of the adoption, but even more to know about his mental state and for that he could only be grateful. He decided to send him a photo of Donghyuck and Johnny he took earlier in the day, without much surprise the reply came immediately. In true Doyoung’s fashion, he only sent him a thumbs up back. Ten could only laugh at this, showing his phone to Johnny when the other asked him why he was so happy suddenly.

Ten was aware that he needed to speak with his friends, and that dragging it longer would only make it that much harder. The problem was that deep down he knew that even though Kun and Taeyong were the one who expressed their skepticism that day, the others must have had the same opinion, even if they congratulated them their words were tinted with something akin to surprise if one was optimistic or, if you are more negative, disbelief and doubt. In a way he was still afraid of them, all of them, of their judgement but he shouldn’t be that bothered by it because at the end of the day it was their choice, Johnny and his. He tried to reason with himself, to see their view on the matter, after all if it was the other way around he would most likely judge himself too.

He shouldn’t be this hard on them, he needs them and Johnny needs them too. Plus he was missing the kids, and he would like them to become Donghyuck’s friends after all. With that resolution, he decided to send a text to Taeyong to tell him that he would like to meet him in the week if possible. After sending it, he decided to not look at his phone anymore and to just relax with his husband before going to bed.

They spent the rest of the day cuddled together talking about everything, Donghyuck mostly, but also about their friends, and agreed to be the bigger person in this situation, to understand them and to not stay on these bitter feelings. Then they imagined their future, with their baby, about his happiness which would make theirs, about all of the things they would do together, and about how they couldn’t wait to deal with all of these happy moments without forgetting all the troubles the little angel would make without a doubt. They wanted the good days, but they also wanted the bad, because all of these days would make their lives with Donghyuck and it will be magical, it will be a life worth living. 

That night the couple went to sleep peacefully, impatiently waiting for the future to come and all the changes awaiting them.


End file.
